One of the most exciting parts of Disney’s new Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, is the appearance of Baby Yoda. The tiny green baby has captured the hearts of fans around the world, but he has also raised a lot of questions in the process. The show has yet to reveal what is going on with Baby Yoda, but a new fan theory could explain everything — and it might have a major impact on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The cast of ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ | Photo by Bill Watters/WireImage

Inside the Baby Yoda fan theory

In a nutshell, the fan theory argues that Baby Yoda is not the
real Yoda, but he is a clone of the iconic character. If the theory is true,
then it definitely clears up a lot of things in The Mandalorian, but it
also set the stage for some big developments in Star Wars:The Rise
of Skywalker.

In a recent interview, Oscar Isaac teased that the upcoming movie is the final bout in a larger chess match between the Sith and the Jedi. The actor did not reveal anything specific, but his comments could have been referring to the clone theory.

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After all, what better way to defeat the Siths than to clone the
best Jedi Master of all time in Yoda? While this theory sounds good on paper,
is there any evidence to suggest that Baby Yoda is actually a clone?

Clones have already been introduced in ‘Star Wars’

To back up the theory, the science of cloning was established in the animated Star Wars series, The Clone Wars. In the first episode of the show, titled “The Lost One,” the Jedi Sifo-Dyas was the first to initiate a plan to build a clone army.

His technology, however, was stolen by Palpatine and Count Dooku,
but the fact that a Jedi started the whole cloning business lends credence to
the notion that Yoda was duplicated.

The only hole in the theory is that Siths were not a thing when
Sifo-Dyas was around. But as a clairvoyant, there is a chance that Sifo-Dyas
foresaw the rise of the Siths and wanted to create a clone of Yoda to combat
them.

If that is true, then it is possible that an adult Yoda clone
will appear in Star Wars:The Rise of Skywalker to combat
Palpatine, who has already been featured in the trailers.

Will Yoda have a cameo in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’?

Yoda came face-to-face with Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith.
Although he ultimately lost the fight, Yoda could easily return and make things
right.

That is, of course, assuming that Baby Yoda is still alive during the events in The Rise of Skywalker. If he did survive this long, there is little doubt that he would be much older and in a prime position to take out Palpatine.

Yoda enjoyed a brief cameo in Star Wars:The Last Jedi,
and most Star Wars fans loved that director J.J. Abrams brought him back
to life. So why not go all out and bring him back as a full-on clone in the
final chapter?

What will happen to Baby Yoda?

There is no question that most fans would love to see Yoda return to action in Star Wars:The Rise of Skywalker. But until that happens, Baby Yoda’s fate on The Mandalorian remains a mystery.

Right now, the television show could go in several directions
with the character. For starters, the series could kill off Baby Yoda or put
him into captivity. Either of these scenarios would explain why we haven’t seen
Yoda crop up yet in the new trilogy.

Daisy Ridley answers the question on everybody's mind: What's cuter, a porg or Baby Yoda? Her answer is swift and accurate. https://t.co/4FzgBG3X5A

Another option is that the Yoda clone could be whisked away to
hide. He would not be the first character to live in exile in the franchise and
it would open the door for him to return in The Rise of Skywalker.

Unfortunately, there is no telling what will become of Baby Yoda
in the series, but our fingers are crossed that he makes it out in one piece.